BOWLPLEX has won its bid to build a bowling alley in Camberley town centre but may now pull out after it was forced to reduce its opening hours.

On Monday Surrey Heath Borough Council considered Bowlplex’s application for permission to build a facility next to The Atrium in Park Street. The plans included 20 bowling lanes, an American pool area, restaurant, bar and amusement arcade, with a DJ providing music.

The application proposed that Friday and Saturday night opening hours would run until 3am but after a meeting with the police this was revised to 2.30am, with the centre staying open until 1am during the rest of the week. However, due to the original concerns of the police, environmental health officers and residents’ groups, the application was forced to go to a hearing.

Residents were concerned that the bowling centre closing times would lead to an increase in crime and disorder in the town centre and be a disturbance for those living in nearby roads including Southern Road and Southwell Park Road.

On Wednesday the committee panel, comprising councillors Fran Bennie, Patricia Pinder and David Hamilton, announced that Bowlplex had permission to build the facility.

The closing time would be 1am Sunday to Wednesday, 1.30am on Thursdays and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. On all days the serving of food and alcohol would have to stop 30 minutes before closing.

In response Bowlplex said company directors would meet next week to consider whether or not to proceed with the venture.

During Monday’s hearing solicitor Arnold Finn, acting for Bowlplex, said the company was not prepared to reduce the hours any further from 2.30am because it would not be economically viable.

He added: “We thought it was right to declare that Bowlplex were not prepared to go lower than the hours agreed to. That’s not a threat. If we couldn’t have those hours then it wouldn’t be an economical and viable prospect.”

However Cllr Pinder said it was the committee’s duty to protect residents’ interests, not to bow to Bowlplex.

She added: “If you’ve got people coming out at 2.30am that means people are coming out, slamming doors and noise is going on until 3am.

“I want Bowlplex to come here. It would be wonderful to have a bowling alley but we have to protect human rights.”

The councillors were given graphs of other Bowlplex centres which showed the number of customers leaving the centres from 10pm. After 1am there were not that many customers left.

Cllr Pinder said: “I can’t see why they are saying that it’s not viable unless they’ve got that extra half hour between 2am and 2.30am when they are also saying there’s not many people in there anyway at that time.

“It did come across that they were threatening to pull out if they didn’t get exactly what they wanted.

“It was as though they were blackmailing us.”

Anne Greenstreet, chairman of the Southwell Park Residents Association, was pleased with the council’s decision and that Bowlplex had agreed that no customers would be allowed to enter the premises after midnight.

Alan Kirkland, of the Southern Road Action Group, was less optimistic but glad the residents had stood up to Bowlplex.

He said: “Our concern is that we are going to have another drinking facility but the point is that people will be served drink until late in the evening and it is even closer to our homes than the High Street. I think it’s outrageous.”

Cllr Hamilton said the views of residents had been taken into account and the licence granted to Bowlplex contained strict conditions relating to the prevention of crime and disorder, including terms which the bowling company had themselves proposed.

He added that the police and environmental health had withdrawn their objections after being satisfied that Bowlplex would meet their demands.

Cllr Hamilton said: “We have met the concerns of residents. Bowlplex is a well-established and very reputable company with an outstanding record of providing this recreational service. It has 16 centres throughout the country and investigations by Surrey Police have revealed it is efficiently run in co-operation with the police and local authorities.

“Bowlplex will play a major role in providing a sports and entertainment facility in Camberley. I’m sure that the residents will have much to enjoy and nothing to endure when the balls start rolling at Bowlplex in 2008.”